Laurel Mercantile Co. Family Recipes & Stories: Volume 1 is filled with recipes from your favorite people on Home Town and around Laurel. The Roasted Tomato Bisque recipe is just a taste of what's offered in this cookbook. Discover the south's best recipes when you get your first edition here!

"As a lover and explorer of tomato soups, I am pleased to report that this is the only tomato bisque recipe you will ever need. I promise. It’s the texture that wins so much with this one—with every bite full of little pulpy bursts of tomatoey/creamy/garlicy/oniony goodness. I pair mine with extra buttery homemade garlic croutons, but we all know that a grilled cheese would be the best option possible if you’re just eating it at home. Go ahead and pin this one, gals." — Erin

Roasted Tomato Bisque

Ingredients:

  • 2 yellow onions
  • 1/4 c. FRESH garlic minced (almost 2 whole heads of garlic) jarred will never do
  • 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbs. oregano
  • 1 Tbs. basil
  • 1 Tbs. kosher salt
  • 2 t. pepper
  • 6 oz. tomato paste
  • 32 oz. chicken stock
  • 4 (28 oz.) cans of fire roasted dice tomatoes (or 8 of the 14.5 oz cans)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/4 c. heavy cream
  • 1 Tbs. sherry vinegar
  • 2 Tbs. sugar

Directions:

This sort of 'roux' you make for the base is what makes this soup special and is the secret to all the bold flavor.

1. Heat your olive oil in a pot, sauté the onions and garlic for about 8 minutes on medium high heat stirring frequently. Add in all the seasonings, sauté another 6 minutes.

2. Add the tomato paste, stirring constantly until it caramelizes — about 5 minutes. DON'T LET IT BURN! Once it's a thick, fragrant paste I remove it from heat and transfer it to my crock pot. Pour in the chicken stock and all the tomatoes.

3. Stir together, drop in a bay leaf, then let it simmer on low for several hours. About an hour before serving, remove the bay leaf, and add the cream, sherry vinegar and sugar. Puree until smooth with a stick blender (I had to go buy one of these just for this recipe — but SO worth it,) and then let simmer for the last hour.

4. Serve with grated parmesan and croutons or focaccia bread or grilled cheese or literally any other greasy bread. 

Contributed by Erin Napier, Adapted from Robert St. John.

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